 "Photo: Michael J. CLarke")
They couldn't compete with the size as the crowds at Kentucky or Kansas, but those fans who showed up at Conte Forum for ESPN's College Gameday last Saturday morning were some of Boston College's finest.
From 11 a.m. to noon, ESPN took over Conte Forum, airing its weekly show from BC to the delight of an estimated 1,000 BC Superfans in attendance.
ESPN's team of analysts - former Notre Dame head coach Digger Phelps, former Duke star Jay Bilas, former UNC guard Hubert Davis, and moderator Rece Davis - previewed the day in college basketball and presented some pre-taped segments.
One segment featured Jared Dudley on a jaunt around Boston with ESPN's senior college basketball writer, Andy Katz. While visiting landmarks around the Hub such as Beacon Hill and Fenway Park, Katz and Dudley discussed life in Boston and Dudley's future in basketball.
BC football legend Doug Flutie made an appearance, attempting and missing a half-court shot for charity.
Fans held up a plethora of home-made signs, a signature of Gameday, as such signs are often shown on television in the background, or as one of the many cameras pans across the crowd.
Some of the funniest signage included, "Al Skinner will eat you!" as well as "Blair blocked your mom twice."
Concluding the show, each of the analysts picked a team to win the contest between BC and North Carolina. Bilas and Davis chose the Tar Heels, while Phelps picked the Eagles.
Afterwards the analysts took some time to evaluate BC, discussing their impressions of the school and their opinions on the prospects of this year's basketball team.
"This has been great here at Boston College. It's been a little chilly. But the campus has been great," said Bilas.
Phelps, who coached against BC on many occasions, also had glowing words to describe BC.
"BC's always been a great school. I've always loved Boston College. You've got a beautiful campus, a great city to go with, you look at downtown Boston. The spirit and enthusiasm has always been here at Boston College, going back to when I coached against Gary Williams, Jimmy O'Brien, Chuck Daly, going way back to when I was at Fordham," said Phelps.
Bilas' review of this year's BC team started, not surprisingly, with an assessment of Dudley and his ascension to stardom throughout his four years at BC.
"I've watched him as a freshman when he got here from California; he was kind of a baseline player, an offensive rebounder, and a guy that did all the little things. Now, he's a star, a guy that can carry a team, and he's improved every facet of his game. He can shoot it, pass it; he can step it away, put it on the deck, and post. I think he's a pro. I think he's definitely a pro. He's a guy who you used to say his will exceeds his skill, but that's not true anymore. Now his skill is equal to his will, and his will is considerable, so that's a pretty strong statement," said Bilas.
Perhaps Rece Davis had the most flattering praise for this year's BC squad, predicting how far the Eagles could go in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
"I think they can make the Final Four. I think they would have had a much better chance if they had a full team with Sean Williams inside. But, Dudley is a guy who can carry his team in March and they have dangerous offensive players. They play hard and they play defense typically. They'll get after the ball and rebound the ball. So, I think BC can make the Final Four. If you're asking me would I put them as a favorite to do so, my answer would be no, but I certainly think they are a Sweet Sixteen-caliber team - and once you get there, they're capable of beating anybody, and that includes Florida or anybody else," said Davis.
Let's hope Rece is right and that BC basketball teams can make Chestnut Hill a worthy destination again for Gameday in the near future. n
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